The present invention relates to devices for holding calendars, and, in particular, a holding frame for displaying and hanging preprinted calendars in a bifold format.
Yearly, monthly and weekly calendars are widely available in varying formats for use on desks, walls, refrigerators and other venues for tracking dates and activities. On walls, the calendars are generally hung from an exposed picture hook or nail. Such a stark presentation detracts from the visual quality of the calendar and from framed paintings or photographs, and wall hangings in accompanying spaces.
To provide additional decor, various holding devices have been proposed for holding and framing calendars. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 1,765,070 to Graham provides a picture frame for a calendar wherein a bottom slot in the rear of the frame allows substitute calendar pages to be inserted. The frame is limited to a single panel display and must be removed from the wall for changing the display. Other calendar frames have been limited to designs specifically tailored to the frame such as shown in U.S. Des. Pat. Nos. 425,114 and 423,571 to Blazer et al., and 318,292 to Duncan wherein the calendar pages are inserted by removing a rear panel of the frame. Calendar frames have also been proposed wherein date information may be entered on a clear cover panel overlying the calendar, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,282 to Selman, allowing successive months to be displayed without changing a calendar template. Thus, the use of the calendar frames is limited to specifically designed formats and not amenable to commercially available merchandise.
One popular calendar type widely available to consumers comprises a plurality of sheets that are hinged at a center horizontal fold by staples, spiral springs or like connections, thereby dividing the calendar into an upper panel generally bearing a thematic photographic or artistic rendering, and a bottom panel with conventional grids displaying the date, day and month. By pivoting the lower panel upwardly, successive months and renderings may be displayed. The panels are provided with central perforations at their upper margins to allow the calendar to be hung and displayed from a suitable fastening member such as a picture hook. While displaying appealing artistry and quality and easily changed from month to month, the intended picture hook mounting detracts from the presentation.
The present invention provides a decorative framed calendar holder that may be fashioned in a wide variety of frame molding materials and configurations, readily accepts conventional sized bifold or folding calendars, and may be update without removing any component while remaining in the hung position on a wall. The calendar holder includes a peripheral frame that conformably receives a conventional bifold calendar. A lower cross member at the bottom molding provides a lower slot for receiving the lower panels of the calendar. An upper cross member at the top molding provides an upper slot for receiving the upper panels of the calendar. The upper cross member carries a sliding mounting peg that extends through the perforations in the upper panels thereby independently hanging the calendar within the calendar holder. The calendar may be changed by slightly bowing the lower panel and removing it from the lower slot, flipping the removed lower panel upwardly, retracting the mounting peg, bowing the panel into the upper slot, and reinserting the mounting peg to re-hang the calendar on the frame with the new month and artistry displayed.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a calendar holder that is available in a wide variety of decorative framing materials.
Another object of the invention is to provide a hanging holder for a calendar that may changed for succeeding months without removal from the support surface.
A further object of the invention is to provide a decorative calendar holder for widely available calendar formats.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a calendar holder for multiple panel calendars that may be changed monthly without the removal of framing components.